Leopard is due to hit the market about the same time as Microsoft's Vista, and sources say Apple has been keeping a close eye on the Redmond, Wash.-based software giant. They say the Mac maker has been developing a handful of features for Leopard that will specifically rival those available to Vista users -- some will make the cut for Leopard's release while others may not.

One of the rumored features is said to be OS-level integration of a geographical mapping technology, similar to Microsoft's Virtual Earth. In recent months, Microsoft has made several acquisitions aimed at bolstering its Virtual Earth division, including a buyout of Vexcel Corp.

According to sources, Apple has been working on a similar approach, but modeled after Google's Maps feature. The technology will presumably allow Leopard users to scour the globe through satellite imagery and whisk up driving directions on the drop of a dime.

I also heard that Boot Camp will be intregrated so tightly into Leopard that it would be like running an OS9 Classic app, where you couldn't really tell the difference. If that is the case you can run an app from xp (aka GPS) as if its a native OSX app.

I also heard that Boot Camp will be intregrated so tightly into Leopard that it would be like running an OS9 Classic app, where you couldn't really tell the difference. If that is the case you can run an app from xp (aka GPS) as if its a native OSX app.

the rumors are changing Boot Camp seems to have been replaced on the apple page with Parallels so it might be virutalization (or however you spell it, my coca Safari isn't giving me any guesses at the spelling) in the next round.